(Video) ‘We were too late…’ – One recurring issue left John Achterberg frustrated at Liverpool
John Achterberg has spoken of his frustration over a number of goalkeepers that he’d recommended to Liverpool, only to see them sign for other clubs instead.
The Reds’ former goalkeeping coach, who was at Anfield for 15 years until departing in tandem with Jurgen Klopp earlier this summer, appeared on the Aldo Meets Podcast when he reeled off the names of those he’d advised the club to bring in, only for his requests to fall on deaf ears.
The 53-year-old reflected: “When Roy [Hodgson] was looking for a number two goalie [in 2010], I said we need to take Thomas Sorensen, because he was an experienced Danish international. That was the level I was looking at, but obviously Mike Kelly decided Brad Jones, and that’s how it went.
“Actually, my first goalie I said to [Damien] Comolli was [Manuel] Neuer at Schalke [in 2011]. I said he would be good for us, but then he said he’s going to Bayern.
Follow Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
“The second one I said [Samir] Handanovic at Udinese [in 2012], and he said he doesn’t like it. I watched him against Ireland. He’s physical, he dealt well with it. He’s a good shot stopper, a good size. Then he went to Inter Milan.
“Every time I was looking [at] who is out [of contract] this year, next year as well. I was looking to find out and then I’d tell them we need to try to get this one or that one. You need to line them up early enough that you want them if you want the free ones.
“We tried Neto but we went too late. I told them early that Neto was at Fiorentina, playing in Europe, and he would be free. I think we went in January [2015] out there, but then he’d already signed for Juventus. We were too late really for that kind of thing.”
READ MORE: ‘Who knows…’ – Ben Doak’s reflections on 2023/24 injury hell show an admirable maturity
Thinking back to the first half of the 2010s, when Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeepers were Pepe Reina (excellent for much of his LFC career but a bit erratic towards the end of his time with us) and the inconsistent Simon Mignolet, you can’t help but wonder how things may have turned out differently if the club’s hierarchy had taken Achterberg’s tips on board.
Of course, the picture could hardly be more different nowadays, with one of the best in the world in Alisson Becker nailing down the number 1 spot and Caoimhin Kelleher surely the best second-choice ‘keeper in the Premier League.
Of the quartet namechecked by the Dutchman, Neuer is the one who stands out, considering the glittering career he went on to have with Bayern Munich and Germany.
Then again, if we’d signed him in 2011 and he showed the longevity which has defined his footballing life, we might never have signed Alisson seven years later. Silver linings and all that!
You can view Achterberg’s comments below (from 4:57), via Aldo Meets Podcast on YouTube:
The post (Video) ‘We were too late…’ – One recurring issue left John Achterberg frustrated at Liverpool appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.